News January 16, 2008

Grants Available to Help Coastal Counties NACo in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Community-Based Restoration Program (CRP), is pleased to announce the second year of funding for the Coastal Counties Restoration Initiative (CCRI).  The initiative provides financial assistance on a competitive basis to innovative, high quality county-led or supported projects.  In 2008, CCRI will provide $500,000 in grants to improve stream, river, estuarine and other important marine habitats. A priority area for CCRI is the removal of fish passage barriers in coastal streams and rivers.  Grants will range from $50,000-$100,000, based upon need. The deadline for applications is March 24, 2008.  For more information and to access the full RFP and application instructions, visit www.naco.org/ccri.  For questions call 202-942-4246 or email ccri@naco.org.

Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices Publication Number EPA 841-F-07-006, December 2007. EPA’s recently released report provides information to cities, counties, states, private-sector developers and others on the costs and benefits of using Low Impact Development (LID) strategies and practices to help protect and restore water quality. LID practices are innovative practices that manage stormwater close to its source by mimicing a site's predevelopment hydrology and use design techniques that infiltrate, evapotranspirate, and reuse runoff. LID practices are increasingly being used by communities across the country to help protect and restore water quality. This report provides information on the cost savings and benefits that can be achieved by implementing LID practices versus conventional stormwater practices. For a link to access to the report, go to: http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/

News November 21, 2007

Sustainable Sites Initiative Drafts Guidelines for Site Development, Welcomes Comments The Sustainable Sites Initiative is creating a comprehensive rating system and guidelines for sustainable site development of all sizes, with or without buildings. We need your help to make it better.  The Initiative, a partnership between the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden (USBG), in conjunction with a diverse group of stakeholder organizations, recently released the first preliminary report from the program. The goal of the Sustainable Sites Initiative is to identify the highest standards in sustainable site development and marry them to a practical, real-world approach that can be incorporated into other green rating systems or stand alone. The U.S. Green Building Council has already pledged to include Sustainable Sites in future versions of its LEED® Green Building Rating System. To make this program successful, the Initiative seeks input on all aspects of the content presented in the initial draft report. It must contain the latest science. It must be economically feasible. This draft document may be viewed at: www.sustainablesites.org   and http://emessaging.vertexcommunication.com/ct/3175692:1197910671:m:1:1445 11059:54B05A9D53CC52632AB887750F4AB883  Feedback on the preliminary draft is due January 11, 2008.

News October 17, 2007

NOAA Climate Change Documents Seek Public Comment The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking public comments on two draft climate change publications. The first is The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity found at: http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-3/public-review-draft/default.htm. Comments are due by October 26. The second is Uses and Limitations of Observations, Data, Forecasts, and other Projections in Decision Support for Selected Sectors and Regions which can be found at: http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap5-1/ public-review-draft/default.htm. Comments are due by November 8. Instructions for commenting are provided on each publication's web page.

News August 16, 2007

Funding, workshops, educational brochure help fight stormwater pollution Contact: Sandy Howard – Washington Dept. of Ecology – August 9, 2007 The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is offering grants, workshops and a new educational brochure to help local governments across the state tackle the state's largest source of urban water pollution - stormwater. Polluted stormwater from runoff is a major threat to the state's urban waters. It carries a toxic blend of pollution downstream into lakes, rivers and marine waters. Uncontrolled stormwater also can carry muddy water downstream and suffocate salmon and trout and their egg nests. It can also cause flooding and slope failures that threaten people's homes and the environment. Ecology is awarding $75,000 grants to approximately 145 local governments through its Local Governments Stormwater Grants Program. The funding will help local governments design stormwater programs so they can comply with the state's new "Phase II" municipal stormwater permits that went into effect earlier this year. This $9 million grants program provides approximately $7 million for local stormwater programs in the Puget Sound area and $2 million for local stormwater programs outside of Puget Sound. More information can be found online at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/funding/LocalGovernmentStormwaterGrants.htm   For full story, go to: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2007news/2007-226.html

A Landowner's Guide to Phragmites Control

Contact: Robert McCann – Michigan DEQ News Release – August 6, 2007 The Department of Environmental Quality's Office of the Great Lakes has released a brochure focusing on the control of phragmites entitled, "A Landowner's Guide to Phragmites Control."The invasive, non-native variety of Phragmites australis, commonly known as phragmites, is a perennial wetland grass that can grow up to 15 feet tall. Phragmites tend to grow creating dense stands which degrade wetlands and coastal areas by crowding out native plants and animals, blocking shoreline views, reducing access for swimming, fishing, and hunting, and potentially creating fire hazards from dry plant material. For the full press release, go to: http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607, 7-135--173451--,00.html  The guide is also available at the DEQ web site at http://www.michigan.gov/deqinlandlakes

News July 13, 2007

County Water Quality Issue Brief Available

NACo has updated a publication entitled Using GIS Tools to Link Land Use Decisions to Water Resource Protection.  The guide provides practical case studies, a list of commonly available tools and a newly created tools assessment section.  The publication is available now at www.naco.org/techassistance under “Water Quality” then Publications.  NACo developed this resource with financial assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

County Wetlands Data Guidebook Available

This new NACo publication provides a practical introduction to wetlands data designed to help county officials obtain and utilize wetlands data and maps for county purposes.  The publication is available now at www.naco.org/techassistance under “Water Quality” then Publications.  NACo developed this resource with financial assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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PUBLICATIONS-REPORTS-GUIDES

New ELI Report: Planner's Guide to Wetland Buffers for Local Governments The upland area surrounding a wetland – the wetland buffer – is essential to its health and survival. Healthy wetlands and buffer areas help to control flooding, protect water flows, conserve native plants and wildlife, and support nature-friendly land use and development. Based on the Environmental Law Institute's detailed examination of more than 50 enacted wetland buffer ordinances around the nation and nine model ordinances, as well as several hundred scientific studies and analyses of buffer performance, the Planner's Guide to Wetland Buffers for Local Governments identifies both the state-of-the-art and the range of current practice in protection of wetland buffers by local governments. The Guide provides to local governments considering enacting or amending a wetland buffer ordinance what they need to know to manage land use and development in these important areas. For a direct link to this guide, visit: http://www.elistore.org/reports_detail.asp?ID=11272

A Local Ordinance to Protect Wetland Functions Wetlands and Watersheds Article #4 (in a Six-part Series) Center for Watershed Protection ~ Prepared for the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, EPA – December 2007 Authors: Beth Strommen, Karen Cappiella, David Hirschman, and Julie Tasillo. This article introduces a new type of model ordinance for local protection of wetlands. Existing federal and state wetland permitting programs address some direct impacts to wetlands, such as filling, but are not designed to regulate inputs of stormwater or other pollutants. Local development regulations can fill this gap in wetland protection since local governments typically have control over local land use regulations and decisions. For a link to this document, visit the Center for Watershed Protection website at: http://www.cwp.org/ or go directly to: http://www.cwp.org/wetlands/articles/WetlandsArticle4.pdf

New Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management Document Now Available A second edition of a popular publication, Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management: Technical and Institutional Issues, was recently published by the North American Lake Management Society. This document revises an earlier 1994 edition and was prepared with support from EPA's Office of Wastewater Management and the Nonpoint Source Control Branch in EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. The update is important because of the tremendous amount of new information available as well as the significant shift in stormwater program direction from the historic mitigation-based approach to a more source-based approach. Copies of the document can be found at: http://www.nalms.org:80/Resources/FundamentalsOfUrbanRunoffManagement.aspx

Center for Watershed Protection Releases Urban Stormwater Retrofit Practices Manual The key to restoring these watersheds lies in the practice of stormwater retrofitting, which involves subwatershed detective work, storm drain forensics and imaginative design. This manual outlines the basics of retrofits, describes the 13 unique locations where they can be found, and presents rapid methods to find, design and deliver retrofits to meet a wide range of subwatershed objectives. The concepts of retrofitting are illustrated in more than 75 figures, 150 photos, 60 tables and nine appendices. For more information, go to: http://www.cwp.org/PublicationStore/USRM.htm

Guidebook Released The Climate Impacts Group, King County, Washington, and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability are pleased to announce the release of Preparing for Climate Change: A Guidebook for Local, Regional, and State Governments. The guidebook is designed to facilitate planning for climate impacts at the local level by specifying practical steps and strategies that can be used to build community resilience into the future. These steps include creating a climate change preparedness team; identifying community vulnerabilities to climate change; and identifying, selecting, and implementing adaptation options. An electronic copy of the guidebook is available at http://www.cses.washington.edu/cig/fpt/guidebook.shtml Hard copies of the guidebook will be available in October. To request a hard copy, please send me an email (lwb123@u.washington.edu).

ASWM Reports Protecting and Restoring Wetlands: Strengthening the Role of Land Trusts Protecting and Restoring Wetlands: Strengthening the Role of Local Governments

Watershed Planning Handbook is Published

EPA's Office of Water has published a guide to watershed management to help various organizations develop and implement watershed plans. The Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters is aimed toward communities, watershed groups, and local, state, tribal, and federal environmental agencies. The 414 page handbook is designed to take the user through each step of the watershed planning process. The handbook is intended to supplement existing watershed planning guides that have been developed by agencies, universities, and other nonprofit organizations. This handbook is more specific than other guides about quantifying existing pollutant loads, developing estimates of the load reductions required to meet water-quality standards, developing effective management measures, and tracking progress once the plan is implemented. The handbook is available online at http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/watershed_handbook  You can order a free copy from the National Service Center for Environmental Publications by calling 800-490-9198 or e-mail ncepimal@one.net. When ordering, please refer to EPA document number: EPA 841-B-05-005.

Center for Watershed Protection Launches New Website

Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) has been working with OWOW, via a Wetlands Program Development Grant, to better integrate wetland protection into watershed planning. As part of that project, CWP has recently launched a wetlands component to their website: http://www.cwp.org/wetlands/index.htm.

New Handbook Helps Local Governments Protect Streams

EPA Region 3 Envirobytes, 10/18/02. The University of Virginia's Institute for Environmental Negotiation has produced a new book, “A Stream Corridor Protection Strategy for Local Governments.” The handbook is designed to help implement many facets of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement. In particular, the handbook aims to protect forested stream buffers and development of local watershed plans. It describes how to devise an effective stream protection strategy, provide tools such as the use of zoning to protect local streams, give case studies of successful projects and how to engage the local community. http://www.virginia.edu/ien/publications.htm or view in PDF format at http://www.virginia.edu/ien/stream%20guide_final.pdf%202.

New - “An Introduction and User’s Guide to Wetland Restoration, Creation, and Enhancement”

The pre-print version of “An Introduction and User’s Guide to Wetland Restoration, Creation, and Enhancement,” developed by the Interagency Workgroup on Wetland Restoration, is now available online.  The “document is designed to achieve two goals: introduce non-technical readers to the basics of wetland projects including planning, implementing, and monitoring; and direct interested persons to documents and resources specific to a particular region or wetland type.” It is nicely organized and has lots of good information for the layperson, along with valuable resource and technical appendices and a checklist for going through the process.  Preview your copy online at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/habitatconservation/publications/index.htm

EPA Launches Local Government Recognition Program "Clean Water Partners . . . "

As part of the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act, EPA is launching a major new recognition program for local governments that are taking "extraordinary" steps to protect and enhance the health of the nation's waters. This program, called Clean Water Partners for the 21st Century, will recognize local governments that are moving beyond clean water regulatory requirements to help achieve even greater levels of protection for the nation's water resources. EPA is undertaking this effort in partnership with a number of leading local and state organizations. EPA expects to recognize those entities accepted into the program in fall 2003. For more information, visit www.cleanwaterpartners.org on the Internet.

Wetland and Watershed Protection Toolkit: Guidance Materials for Local Governments in New York State”

Available online! The Toolkit is a collection of materials designed to encourage, aid and improve the incorporation of wetland and watershed management into local government comprehensive planning.  Use of the Toolkit should also facilitate increasing development of and use of wetland and watershed management plans, increased understanding of and compliance with wetland regulations, and reducing of point-and nonpoint-source pollution. [1/31/02]

NACo Publishes Water Resource Protection Booklet for Western States

"Smart Growth Strategies: Protecting Water Resources. Local Government Roles and Options for the Rocky Mountains and Northern Great Plains" is a new document recently developed by the National Association of Counties with assistance from EPA Region 8. It is a primer on smart-growth techniques available to protect water resources, including restoration, zoning, and acquisition. An extensive resource list and numerous case studies are included outlining private-public partnerships and local government initiatives. According to Paul McIver, Public Outreach Coordinator for EPA Region 8, the document has been sent to chief elected officials, clerks, planners and managers and administrators in every western state. In total, 1200 have been sent and more will be distributed on an ongoing basis. For additional information contact NACO at www.naco.org or call 202-393-6226. To order publication see: http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Publications&Template=/ cffiles/pubs/publications.cfm&PubCat=WMWP.

WI DNR Smart Growth Guide Now Available

Madison, WI - People involved in determining the future growth and development of their communities across Wisconsin now have a new guide to turn to when making decisions regarding local wildlife and other natural resources. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin-Extension, has released an 84-page "how-to" manual titled Planning for Natural Resources: A Guide to Including Natural Resources in Local Comprehensive Planning. Additionally, the Department of Natural Resources has created a new Internet web site devoted to land use issues and comprehensive planning. The site will not only provide a direct link to the department's own guide to including natural resources in local land use planning, but links to guides and articles written and produced by other state agencies and organizations on the same topic. The entire DNR comprehensive planning guide is available online at http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/es/science/landuse or go directly to : http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/es/science/landuse/plan/pubs.htm. Paper copies are also available at county UW-Extension offices or by e-mailing Martin Griffin at griffmp@dnr.state.wi.us.

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